Neshoba Nights

3 and 4 months

2012-01-20T05:47:00.000-08:00

(**warning-this is a long one and the spacing is all weird- despite my many attempts to edit with no success when publishing)

I can't believe you are already 4 months, Elliot. My, how you've changed in the last 2 months!

(you love walks to the park)

For starters, you're sleeping through the night with only a few exceptions here and there. And luckily, you so kindly did this the week before I had to go back to work :). We don't know what we did (probably nothing!) but it just happened and we are loving it!

Here are the highlights during your 3rd month

- you found your hands and you love to put them in your mouth!
- you continue to dislike being on your tummy, but we're working on it :)
- you are smiling and "talking" more than ever and we have had so much fun with you
- you pooped in the bathtub for the first time (I thought your Daddy was going to lose it!)
- we placed you in the bumbo seat this month and were surprised at how well you did. You are getting so strong!
- we are still swaddling you at night because we're not sure any of us will get sleep if we don't ;)
- we increased the amount of milk you drink to 5 oz this month and you officially moved up to size 2 diapers. Not to mention your departure from size 0-3 month clothing! You're not so tiny anymore and that has been a little sad for Mommy.

We celebrated your first Thanksgiving with Grammy's side of the family and you met several family members for the first time!

(your cousin, Taylor couldn't wait to hold you and you fell right asleep!)

The biggest thing during this 3rd month was Mommy's return to work. I feel so lucky to have spent 12 weeks at home with you. I don't count those 2 weeks at home (on the couch!) that I spent waiting on you. :). I always told myself that I am not a stay-at-home Mom. But as Dec 14th came closer and closer, I started to re-think that. We just got into a lovely routine while we were at home together and I am still adjusting to this new one! Those few hours after getting home and before your bedtime are so precious to your Daddy and me. We are anxious for the weekend most of the time!

We were so blessed to have you stay with Daddy, Grammy and Grandad/Grandmom for the first 2 weeks of my return to work and that certainly helped me feel more at ease while I was away from you. Daddy was so glad to have some special time with you and I think you loved it, too.

This last month (your 4th) has been full of new things.

-You've turned the corner with tummy time. You still don't like it but you are tolerating much better and trying so hard to roll over! You haven't quite mastered that on your own, but with a little help from us, you make it happen.
- You are full-out laughing! We enjoy all your coos but there's nothing like your little laugh. It's only fitting that your first laugh came through a little song and dance with Daddy. I tried for hours to get you to laugh with me but I just didn't have what it took that day. (Daddy's girl, already!). But we've found our little thing now and I just love hearing it.
- You are keeping that head up a lot! You love facing out on our laps and being propped in a sitting position anywhere, really. You love the Bumbo even more this month and especially love being held on my hip.
-You love story time. You are more aware of everything lately, but especially books. You switch your gaze back and forth as we read and enjoy placing your hands on the pages, too. (and I help you with you touch and feel books, of course). I love this time of day when we are reading together!
-You started Day School at Highland and you love your teacher, Miss Jesse! You're surrounded by boys right now but we're think a little girl is starting soon :)

We had several photo shoots with you this month in preparation and celebration of Christmas and it was so fun. We started out with some pictures of you and your BFF, Juliette at her house. And y'all certainly put on a show for us!

Juliette let you borrow her hat and and I think this is the only "smile" we got out of you that night!

And this is pretty much how most of the pictures went.. both of you doing your own thing. But looking adorable doing it, of course!

We did manage to get a cute one, I think.

We had fun one day trying to get a photo for our Christmas card. You did great, but we pushed you to the limit a bit. :)

For your first Christmas Eve, we had Grammy, Grandad and Grandmom over to our house and we had such a good time.

We headed back to visit with both of your Grandparents on Christmas morning

It's hard to believe that you will be walking this coming Christmas. We are savoring these snuggle times with you, as we know things will be much different this year!

We never made it to meet Santa before Christmas, but he made a special stop to see your BFF, Juliette and we jumped in for a visit, too. (Thanks, Leslie!)

We are so glad you feel better, Juliette- we missed this little grin!

We have enjoyed bundling you up on cold days and getting you pumped about the Grizzlies since they started back in Decemeber. I guess we have a little work to do on your excitement with the NBA!

We love you, sweet baby. You are our joy in life and we are so very thankful for you!
Happy 4 months!

the first 6 weeks

2011-11-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we've started to settle into a routine during the day, for the most part. Getting out of the house has become easier and I just love toting E around town. Although, we've yet to venture out at night as a family but plan to this weekend. Hopefully she'll be just as good!

The biggest thing that has happened during her 6th week was sleeping through the night twice! What a big difference that made for me those two days. Its true what other moms say, l felt like a new person!

She's now coming up on her 7th week and of course I had grand plans to post about her at one month but you can imagine how difficult it is. She is changing and growing so much! We've enjoyed her looking at us more intently and making new noises, but especially her recent moments of smiling. She loves to be on her changing table and this is where I seem to get the most smiles from her. It's just the sweetest thing!

But sometimes we catch her doing things like this

And we think it's hilarious. In fact, its one of my favorite pictures. She just has the cutest look on her face!

Something we failed to do (which I hope we don't regret) is set up a full session of pictures of Elliot as a newborn after we got home. Obviously, our life was turned upside down and the last thing on my mind was setting up a photo session. But while we were at the hospital, our friends Stephen and Amanda Jerkins stopped by for a visit and Stephen snapped a few pictures of our family and we are so thankful he shared his talent with us. They are a few of my most treasured photos and I am so glad we have them. Thank you, Stephen!

Two weeks ago we set her up for her one month pictures. She's just a little tired!

I love this picture because I think she looks like my Dad :)

And here's our little cutie at 6 weeks

My darling,
You have brought so much joy into our life. These first 6 weeks of your life have been wonderful and we are enjoying watching you change and grow, although its bittersweet! You have certainly become a little snuggler as you love to sleep on us and we love it just as much. Mommy is enjoying her time with you at home so much. You are becoming more awake during the day and love to be on your tummy. But I think your favorite thing right now is to ride in the stroller for family walks! You are a blessing my dear and we are just so in love with you.
Mommy

Elliot Grace

2011-10-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Our sweet girl was born Tuesday, September 20 at 11:11 pm and we've been home now for almost four weeks with her. We are loving every minute with Elliot, even in the middle of the night when she wakes us up! (I've had to change this sentence multiple times now, as this was started the first week of her life! Oh well!).

On to her birth. Overall, I can't complain about the delivery because the process took only 6 hours after being sent to the hospital. I went for my 38 week check up that Tuesday with no signs of labor, no contractions, no pain whatsoever. In fact, I had a list of things I planned to do that week as I was taken off bedrest. But Elliot had different plans, of course! I was completely surprised to hear my doctor say that I needed to go straight to the hospital. I felt completely normal. So much so that I replied " You're kidding! I was planning to go home and bake some gingerbread cookies!". Even as I left the office, I still couldn't believe that I was in labor and thought to myself, " If this is labor and I'm this far along (6cm) I can do this without an epidural, for sure."

I lasted 2 hours after being induced before I surrendered (I don't think I've surprised anyone here, especially you Moms who have gone before me and warned me!). I was glad I gave it a whirl and was completely okay with my decision. Two hours after I received the epidural, this sweet thing came into our life.

First look at Daddy

getting ready to go home

When we got home that night, we kept her in the car seat, put it on the kitchen table and had our first meal as a family. I started thinking about how many times Grant and I have sat at our table and talked about one day having children, how many prayers had been offered up regarding children and then specifically, Elliot for the last few months and I just couldn't believe it was finally a reality. We ate side by side so we could stare at our sweet girl across the table while introducing her to the Beatles, "I will" as her first song. After dinner, Grant gave her a tour of her new home with more good tunes to follow and we soaked up every moment with her on her first night at home!

Her first bath. This girl loves getting her hair washed!

We've been trying to take pictures each week and here she is at

One week

Two weeks

Three weeks

We've also been trying to get out of the house each day and I think I'm starting getting the hang of it. I'm so happy the weather is beginning to change. It makes our walks around the neighborhood so nice!

And finally, after what seems like an eternity, our sunroom is completely empty and clean! I feel so much better being at home without a huge mess to look at each day. Next, we'll be tackling the last minute items of Elliot's room, which I so planned to post before she was born! I hope I can finish that post in less than a month. But first, it's time to get back in the kitchen. I'm thinking something pumpkin!

5 weeks out

2011-09-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

The new popular question that's been thrown at me lately is , " So, you've got the nursery ready, right?" My answer is and has been for awhile, a resounding "no!" Depending on who's asking, I'll give details as to what's left and what's holding us up on finishing the room.

Before I go any further, let me say that I absolutely love my husband and his many talents. And I'm beyond grateful for all his hard work in our house! But let's not forget that I am pregnant, emotional and 5 weeks away (hopefully) from giving birth.

And this is the current scene at our house.

Meet our sunroom. The place where things go when projects are happening. The place where big boxes stay for awhile until we finally do something with them. And the room that makes me want to scream most days when I come home. (loving the toilet, aren't you?!)

The sunroom mess is there because of this.

Meet the sweet husband. He started remodeling our main bathroom one month ago. He's making progress and working so hard. I think he knows he won't have time for this soon! :)

But then there's this.

Our guest bedroom. Or what I like to call, "I'm too lazy to find a place for this, so I will throw it in this room and shut the door." This hasn't changed for a month. Except accumulated more things. It's supposed to be the room where my mom sleeps for the first few nights of Elliot's life. Yikes!

But just last night, we made some progress in Elliot's room. Bedding and curtains are in and ready! Here's a sneak peek.

(sorry for the dark picture, Grant's the real photographer in the family)

And while all this remodeling business is happening, Grant finished another project he'd been longing to do. And one I am so excited to have complete!

He created this mosaic tile of our beloved city, all from 7in and 18in colored tiles. We've enjoyed eating outside lately and admiring Memphis. (But I'll love it even more when the cool weather arrives!).

Now, do you blame me for having a few freak out moments at our current situation? Especially after being restricted from my normal pace of life and relying on others to help me. I'd say its not too out of line. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, though and I'm hoping this weekend will prove to be productive and I'll have more pictures of Elliot's room for you soon!

the new routine

2011-08-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

While getting a regular check up over a month ago, the doctor found that there were signs of potential preterm labor in my future. Therefore, she instituted this statement to me " Take it easy. You can run one errand after work and then go home." All this said as I'm walking out of the office. So, I took it for what it was. I only ran one errand after work and went home, but still continued with my activities at night (in or out of the house).

Apparently that was the wrong thing to do! (Grant tried to convince me otherwise throughout the these 2 weeks and I wouldn't listen). So at the next appointment, my doctor filled me in on the reality and Grant was there to remind me that "he told me so" as she proceeded to tell me EXACTLY everything he said in the last 2 weeks. He enjoyed that moment way too much!

So, here's the deal. For now, I am still at work. I have drastically modified my schedule to eliminate walking all over the hospital to see patients and been spared the patients who require more physical assistance. I love my co-workers for being so patient and willing to accommodate! After work, I can go one place only. If I have a doctor's appointment, that's my one thing. And whatever it is, it must be an activity that limits me being on my feet.

But here's the kicker- I can do only one thing on the weekends. When I had the church shower, I had to choose between that and church. One thing, means one thing. Yuck!

That has made life at our house a little interesting. I have not cooked, washed the dishes, cleaned or exercised. Instead, my sweet husband has taken over most of these responsibilities while my Mom has cleaned the house a couple times. I cannot thank them enough! While you might think it's nice to be waited on and told you "must rest", its enough to about drive you insane. Especially when there are so many things to accomplish before this little girl enters the world!

I am now 34 weeks pregnant (its taken me 2 weeks to get back to this post I started awhile ago) and only 2 weeks left until I will possibly get the clear for more freedom. So, since I started this post almost 2 weeks ago, I've been feeling better and have allowed myself a little more freedom. (Shhh... don't tell).

During this extra time of being at home, I discovered a pretty fun and easy project I'd like to share with you. When thinking of what I would get 13 lovely ladies who hosted my church shower a couple weeks ago, I really wanted to make something instead of purchasing. Unfortunately, I do not sew (yet!) or have any other crafty talents, other than good penmanship (so I've been told). But when I saw this tutorial for making soy candles, I thought for sure I could do this. It proved to be just as easy as it looked. Here's the final product (sorry, I'm horrible about "in the process" shots).

pretty cute, right?!

What I used:
- set of Ball canning jars
-scraps of fabric on hand
-twine on hand
-small tags
-watercolors on hand
-small pieces of wood on hand (to hold wick in place)

I bought all the candle-making supplies + tags at Hobby Lobby (on sale!) and the essential oil from Whole Foods. Everything else I had on hand at the house. If I had more time, I think I would have shopped on Etsy for other essential oils as the tutorial suggested, but I do love Lemongrass. It reminds of my favorite candle that Target sells.

Possible changes for next time:
I think I'd put more drops of the essential oil in the melted wax, as the candle seems to do better in smaller, confined areas for maximum benefit. :) And I'd improve my water color skills!

There are so many different containers you could use and endless fragrance options. I would love to find a really nice fall scent and go to town with that!

I think they make great gifts!

Thanks, Pinterest. I'm officially obsessed.

Overload

2011-08-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

A lot of things have happened since I last posted and there's no way I plan to tell you about them all right now. But two very fun and memorable things took place within the last 3 months, for myself and my dear friend, Leslie.

We celebrated Leslie and her bebe Juliette (due any day now, we hope!) in June at my house with so many wonderful women and dear friends from our church. I won't go into great detail because Leslie has already documented this event very well. But here a few snapshots of the party.

(had to sneak in one of my favorite flowers)

We had such a great time celebrating Leslie and her future Juliette :)

See Leslie's post for more details on tutorials for a few of the handmade pretties above.

Before I move on, I must say that I've forgotten one other really important event that occurred in between these two: We chose a name for our little girl!

Elliot Grace Burke

There you have it. We love it. And yes, we will call her Elliot.
(I've had too many ask if we would call her Ellie. Although, we can't control what her future friends might call her)

And just last week we celebrated Elliot's future arrival with some of the very same women from our church. It was just perfect. Since most of the photos I have involve me, I won't be documenting much from this day because as you can imagine, I don't particularly enjoy looking at photos of me right now. But I am so thankful to all the women who helped make everything beautiful and for Leslie and Martha's mom, Pam for hosting in her gorgeous home!

Look at the cute banner that Martha made

I just loved this flower arrangement

I ate way too much of these delicious treats. Everything was so good!
We feel very blessed to have so much love from our church family and friends. Such a fun day!

And for those of you who have asked, here's the one and only posed belly shot that exists throughout the last 8 months.
I hope I won't be too sad I don't have more. Oh well!

Celebrating my birthday with Grant several weeks ago (about 28 weeks)

Next time I'll tell you about the fun project I did to thank the hostesses at my shower. I promise, it won't take me 3 months to do so.

2011-04-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

For the past 4 months, I would say that most of my thoughts have been consumed by our baby. Boy/girl, names, daycare, how long I will feel like crap (thankfully, better now!), the overwhelming thought of being responsible for a tiny human and so on.

But today, I cannot stop thinking about my other love.

This team. This crazy guy. And how insane this Saturday night will be in the FedEx Forum.

In fact, I even shed a tear on the way to work this week when I saw a logo displayed with the playoff slogan "we believe". And all I could think about was the collective joy that will be heard in the Forum tomorrow, how hard this team has worked to get to this point and how long some of these players (and fans!) have waited for this moment.

And then it happened. I began to cry. Yes, thank you hormones. And Grant said "please don't embarrass me Saturday." Because let's face it, there's a real good chance my hormones will kick in tomorrow night around 6:30. But I don't care. I love this team like crazy.

Go Griz.

Italy, part II

2011-04-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

Time to finish this trip with pictures!

We spent our one full day in Cinque Terre meandering around the 5 towns by train instead of hiking, due to the rain. And we spent a lot of time admiring these lovely doors. Definitely a staple in all towns. Here are a few of my favs.

We sported this all day

and had fun taking pictures. I mean, there's only so much shopping and sightseeing in the rain you can do, right?! :)

The unbearable and endless cigarette smoke led me to this on multiple occasions.

I could sit on the beach for hours with this view

We trained to Florence from here and spent our remaining time there before coming home. It was probably the best leg of the trip, for sure.

We spent the first day hiking to the overlook of the city at Piazza de Michelangelo and just enjoying the city. It was perfect.

And then we took a short train to San Gimignano the next day, which is another one of my favorite towns. So many cute shops, places to eat, and of course, delicious gelato. maybe the very best Ive had yet. It has such a quaint feel to it and it was practically empty while we were there.

One of our most fun days was spent with our friends, Ryan and Laura who are currently living in Florence, spending their time serving others and serving God. And they are really doing some amazing things with people there! They were so kind to take us around for a special tour one day and it was so much fun. Even in the rain!

We were able to see parts of Florence that I don't remember seeing while studying there, a really cute stationary store and some great gelato! They also introduced us to one of their artisan friends and I have worn the bracelet I bought from him almost everyday.

Then we ate at an American restaurant that took US dollars and it was perfect. This pregnant girl was tired of Italian food and chowed down on a nice American cheeseburger!

Grant and I had no idea before we planned the trip that Italy would be celebrating its 150th year of unification the night we were with the Stephens, but so glad we were a part of it! All the buildings were lit with the Italian flag colors (red, green and white) and it was so pretty.

This is where we kicked ourselves for not having our camera. It was raining and Grant was tired of lugging it around before we started the adventure and we just didn't think we needed it. But check out Laura's post for more pictures from the celebration!

We ended the night on the roof of our hotel waiting for the fireworks that we were told would start at 1130pm, but really started an hour after. The Stephens waited as long as they could to see them before having to catch a bus home. And unfortunately, this is the best shot we got. The smoke was just too much. But the view is incredible!

I was sad to leave this time. I knew this was probably the last time I'd be visiting this beautiful place. Unless I take a 7 month old to meet Grant next summer. Ha. We shall see!

round 2 and +1

2011-03-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, we've certainly been busy over here at the Burke house. Our trip to Dallas a few weeks ago was the kick off of our traveling adventures. But really before then, we kicked off January with some great news that many of you already know by now. We are adding 1 to the Burke family in early October. And we couldn't be happier!

Part of the reason for my blog absence has been because I have just felt horrible the past 12 weeks, but I am finally starting to feel better. And I will say, I felt my absolute best while in Italy. But that all changed when I got home for some reason. Weird.

Anyway, we headed back to Italy this year because Grant is planning to take a group of upcoming seniors at MUS to France/Italy next summer and we needed to get the scoop for Grant's lessons/places to teach, etc, etc. We were thankful to go, especially since we've got a little one on the way now. :)

So, here's the recap in pictures. Not as good as last time, thanks to the weather. But it definitely didn't stop us from having fun!

First stop: Rome for a day (we couldn't help it. we love this place)

spanish steps

Trevi

We took a train to Cinque Terre the next morning where we planned to do lots of hiking. (The weather had something else in mind for us, though). Cinque Terre consists of 5 towns all accessible by a train or a hiking trail along the coast. It's one the most beautiful places in the world, even when it rains!

view from our room. about the clearest day we had!

You can begin hikes at the first town and hike your way to the last. We started at the first on the Via dell 'Amore (our only "hike" we got to accomplish and also known as "the lovers walk"). It was less than 20 min and all level ground. We made it to the next town just before the rain set in!

Couples are known to pledge their love for each other here and symbolize it with the addition of a pad lock. And probably a kiss, too. We just took a picture of ourselves, not kissing. but in love, no doubt. :)

We didn't end the trip here, but I'm going to have to end this post because its taking me like 5 min to load each picture. And I'm tired.

So next time I'll tell you about the rest of our trip in Cinque Terre and the lovely, Florence!

recent tradition

2011-03-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

We've been blessed for the past 3 years to have an opportunity to travel with/without the Grizzlies to see an away game for almost free of charge. And I'm wondering if our luck has finally run out! I guess we'll find out next year :)

Our first year we traveled with the team to D.C. courtesy of our good friends who essentially gave us their trip. Last year, these same friends helped us win a contest at the Forum and we traveled to Orlando where we extended the trip for a couple days to enjoy Disney World with free tickets from another friend. Thanks to our great friends again this year, we traveled to Dallas with them on their plane and our other friend kindly gave us his tickets again. I told Grant at the game this year that I think our good fortune might have come to an end but I would love to be able to carry this tradition on if at all possible.

People that know us well understand our love for the Grizzlies and there's just nothing better than sitting in an opponents arena and cheering loudly for our Grizzlies. We (well, mainly I) usually make enough noise to warrant looks. And I love it. Especially when we win.

And if you didn't already know, I don't particularly enjoy flying, so this year's trip was a big deal for me. We flew on our friend's plane which holds around 6 people. And this is what everyone pretty much made me do as we landed in Dallas. I'll say, it did help ease my nerves for some reason.

yep, im playing c0-pilot.

before the game. grant wouldn't let me document me tearing up their dumb "go mavs" sign left in each seat.

After our big win! There's a handful of NBA teams on my hit list and the Mavs are near the top. To be there for this win was incredible!

We only wish we had video of the last 3 seconds of the game. Grant more than me though, as I would have been quite embarrassed with my celebration dance/screaming.

But here's a video for those of you who don't follow this team. You can imagine what Grant and I were doing after Zbo made this amazing shot.

We're hoping we get to do this again next year! But first, I'd like to make the playoffs, please.

Sweet Memories

2011-01-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

At times, it's hard to believe that its been 5 years since my Dad left this earth but some days it feels like eternity. The 3rd of January will always be a difficult date for me because I will always think about that cold Tuesday morning in 2006. But every year since his passing, I promised myself I would not let this day be sad, but choose to remember all the great things about him, the wonderful life he led here on earth and how incredibly thankful I am for all the memories I have of us. Especially our wedding. Thank you, Lord for this.

I always think about this lovely lady this time of year, too. So very special.

We can all think of something we admire about our parents, I'm sure. And one of the things I respected most about Dad was his selfless nature. Oh, how I want to be like that. Mom and I would often "get onto him" about doing so much for others and not taking time for himself. But I've realized over the past few years what a pure joy it was for him to be with others, help others and show them Christ. I think this will be the thing I carry with me the most- his love for God and the life he lived for Him. His love for Christ and desire to serve Him was always evident to me and those around him. And I hope that one day, my future child or anyone for that matter, will be able to say the same thing about me.

I smiled when I remembered these things today.

- Dad picking me up from elementary school and both of us singing along to Roy Orbison, 50's/60's tunes and the Harding Academy/University A capella Chorus, that I vowed to be a member of one day. (And those 6 years I sang in the chorus might have been Dad's proudest :). That man loved to sing!
- Winning the Father-Daughter Bowling league and all the many pro-lessons he gave me for years. (yeah, I had my own ball (sparkles of course), gloves, bag and shoes).
- Being present for Monday Night Raw at the Pyramid, front row. Yep, I looooved wrestling in elementary school. what in the world. true love, dad!
- All the road trips we took/nights in the hotels with Dad's awful snoring! Mom and I used to always make of fun of him for that. In a sweet way.
- Snuggling up with him in the recliner and listening to Bible stories as a young girl.
- All the sweet letters of encouragement and advice he sent me at college
- Our last Christmas together
- And the day before he met with the Lord, the hug and kiss I got to give him as he wished me a good first day in graduate school. That moment is ingrained in my mind. And I love to think of it. Often.

Love you and miss you, Dad!

{Emily Smith's wedding 2004}

I did it.

2010-12-17T05:54:00.000-08:00

I actually won this year's Cookie Exchange! Let me tell you, this annual cookie exchange with our sunday school class is serious business. Some start searching for the perfect cookie months ahead, but not me this year. Which is one of the things that might have helped me win. :) Check out Leslie's post for more pictures of our fun night!

I'm not going to lie. I did try a few recipes before making the final decision and they were pretty good, but just lacking that thing to make me say, "this is it". I told myself I would do something different this year and make a cookie without frosting. Yeah right. I should have known better. I love sugar too much and there's just nothing better than a glazed or frosted cookie, right?!

And when I saw these Iced Eggnog cookies, I couldn't resist.

photo via Madison, from espresso and cream

The only thing I did to adapt the cookie dough was use 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all purpose (1 cup each). The original glaze was just not enough for me and I used this instead:

Eggnog Icing

8T. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch cinnamon
pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup eggnog
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Here are the two recipes that didn't make the cut. Both good and worth making sometime.

Hot Cocoa Cookies and Browned Butter Sugar Cookies.

The winning prize you might be wondering? Just the cutest apron I've ever seen. And my first! My clothes are thanking me, now (and I'm thanking you, Leslie!).

Just so you know, my vote went to another Leslie and her amazing chai cookies. My first try at these were just not as good as yours, Leslie! Can you make some more, please?!

And in case you're wondering, I did finish a few of those Christmas projects and will share soon!

Unfortunately, the one thing we didn't do this year is send out Christmas cards. No real good reason, just didn't do it this year. But we're sure our friends and family know we love them! We'll get it together next year, promise.

Let the baking begin

2010-11-27T20:23:00.001-08:00

This is my favorite time of the year. Three separate holidays, almost back to back. And all three require baking of some kind, which I love. But lately, I've come to the conclusion that I do a much better job collecting recipes than actually using them.

I've cut down on the current magazine subscriptions I receive, but still enjoy Taste of the South, BHG, Martha Stewart + everyday food, Southern Living and Real Simple. And yet, this doesn't stop me from picking up the latest special edition of any magazine throughout the year, especially all the holiday editions. I'm still working on the cut-backs. It's not all magazines for me, though. I love cookbooks (Giada de Laurentis never disappoints) and have a good wish list going, but these take a little more time to select, considering their usual price.

Since October, I've been collecting fall recipes and deciding what I'd try for Thanksgiving. I had plans to do more, but ended up with a few good recipes I'll share from my search.

You may remember the cinnamon honey butter craze that ensued from Darby's blog post last year and boy, was it good! I wanted something along the same lines this year and came across an easy recipe for apple butter. My dad and I always purchased a jar of apple butter each fall we traveled to Gatlinburg and Ive been hooked ever since.

[pairs great with Cinnamon Nut Bread, both via BHG, Holiday Baking issue]

There's nothing quite as easy as this:

Apple Butter

4lbs cooking apples (I used Gala because its all Kroger had. Honey crisp would be good, too)
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
2 T vinegar (all I had was apple cider kind, worked fine)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Place slices in crockpot. Stir in all ingredients. Cover and place on high for at least 5-6 hours. I might have let mine go for more like 7-8, though. You be the judge. You just want the apples to be all the way smooth, of course. Cool and place into canning jars or airtight containers. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year.

I plan to enjoy this with homemade biscuits next. Well, when I decide which recipe to use! :)

I couldn't resist this next one.

Almost No-Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie, via Joy the Baker.

I wish I could take pictures like she does and I wish I hadn't eaten so much of this pie. Next time, I'll assemble the crust better and add the syrup on top. yum.

These were on the list, but didn't quite make it:

- Sausage stuffing, via Jenny from picky-palate
- Pumpkin spice granola and multigrain rolls, via Annie from annie's-eats.
- Browned butter cranberry lime muffins, via Joy the Baker. If these are anything like her browned butter blueberry muffins, I'm in. They have certainly become a regular in our house.

In the attempt to save money while also being able to decorate for the holidays, I started thinking about several projects I'd like to accomplish before December hits-
1. advent calendar
2. magazine christmas trees, thanks to martha s.
3. something to hold christmas cards
4. festive garland

Like I said, I'm really good at making lists. Maybe I can finish one of these.

As an early Christmas present, Grant finished the office for us.

not the best picture, carpet looks a little mustard-y. you get the idea though.

Here's the scene from 2007 when we first met.

how bout that green shag carpet?!

I'm hoping this finished project will jump start us toward a more organized lifestyle. Speaking of, the dishes are calling my name. My least favorite part of baking.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, too!

the year 2000

2010-11-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

Well, there's really no good reason why I've allowed summer and fall (almost) to pass without updating something! The end of my summer and beginning of fall was spent in large part, preparing for my 10 year high school reunion in September.

It's still hard to grasp that I am old enough to have a high school reunion. And 10 years at that. We had a good turnout for the weekend, minus a little rain for the picnic. We graduated with a class of 100 people and had nearly half of the class attend.

As a senior, my main responsibility as historian of the class was to take pictures. That's it. Easy enough, right? And I think we had a decent slide show to prove I was capable. But for some reason these days I just don't think about taking pictures. In fact, the only reason we have our life documented in photos is because of Grant. So like a dummy, I only took one picture. All weekend.

These are my dear friends, Eryn, Kara, Emily and Melissa. We've been through it all- a few of us as early as elementary school and the rest of us met in 7th grade. Each time we get together, nothing has really changed and I love that. This was the first time in several years (Eryn's wedding in '06, I think) that we were all in the same place together. So much fun!

10 years ago, Emily and I decided this was a good idea

( please don't kill me, Emily!)

candle-light devo during Homecoming week.

Awhile back, I discovered I was not the only one in high school who rocked short hair. There was one more person in this world who had the guts to do it and after Jesse's post on her version of the "mom cut" I figured it was only fair I own up to my version too. But I think this is a little past a "mom cut", don't you Jesse?! Yikes!

This is the one thing my friends never forget and love to remind me of when we get together! And something Grant can't bear to view, I think :)

While planning, gathering photos, memorabilia, etc for the reunion, this little piece of paper was dropped into my hands courtesy of Debbie Edwards (Melissa's mom). I almost fell on the floor when I read it. And after sharing this with the girls we all agreed, we.were.weird.

I guess we ate lots of chocolate pies back then?! who eats whole pies?!

I don't know, but I almost ate a whole loaf of Leslie's pumpkin bread tonight. I guess some things haven't changed.

Celebrating 100 years at Glacier National Park

2010-07-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

My body has barely recovered from our week of hiking in the park, but the sore muscles are worth every minute we spent enjoying views like this

We celebrated the 4th with Grant's aunts in Billings, MT before driving to Glacier. And let me tell you, the people in Billings go all out for the 4th with the fireworks. They started at 7pm and did not quit until 1am (mind you, it doesn't get fully dark until about 1030 or 11pm there). And the quality of fireworks was equivalent to an organized show in Memphis. We loved it!

We drove to Glacier the next morning and spent three days hiking, totaling a whopping 30 miles! We visited the park a couple years ago, but were unable to finish most of the hikes due to the number of grizzly bear sightings causing the rangers to close the trails.

But this year we finished all 3 hikes we set out to complete and did not encounter any grizzlies (thank goodness!) but saw several deer, marmots, mountain goats, sheep, cows and one black bear. Grant spent most of his time pining for a moose but no such luck this year.

First day of hiking. Iceberg Lake.

on the way... don't even ask, i have no idea whats going on here.

stopped to admire this little guy and then finished here

due to the ever-changing climate, the icebergs are slowly disappearing each year :(

Day 2: Hidden Lake
Let me just say, I was not prepared for the amount of snow on this hike. We drove about 30 min to the trailhead and this is what was waiting for us:

less than a mile in...

the Burke men made it to the top!

and so did this cute thing

The change in altitude and steep incline presented its own challenges, but I certainly made it worse when I decided to wear New Balance shoes that morning. Reaaally old new balance with non-existing treds.

The beginning of the end...

and it only got worse from here. it was pretty hilarious the number of times I bit the dust. way too many to count!

Day 3: Grinnell Lake

We spent many nights here by the fire or on the deck and it was heaven! Its also the place where Grant's dad spent 2 summers working in college.
Many Glacier Hotel (built in 1915!)

and finally, the place we visited every morning in hopes of spotting a moose for Grant
Fishercap Lake

see you next time, glacier!

Five years ago

2010-06-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

Grant and I were celebrating our first day of marriage here, in Belize.

(our anniversary was really a couple weeks ago, but I just couldn't get it together, as usual!)

This year, we celebrated downtown at Flight. If you've got a special occasion to celebrate or just in the mood for a splurge, this is your place. I loved everything about it- food, service, location and overall concept. The menu is designed with "fights" of every course presented in small portions.

It's perfect for someone like me who agonizes over decisions of any kind (fyi- if there's a plan to eat out, never ask me where I want to eat because most likely I'll say, "where do you want to eat?" and that will go round and round until you want to kick me. Just ask Grant!). So, instead of one entree, I had pork tenderloin, jumbo shrimp and steak. All of it was delicious. especially my 3 desserts!

After dinner we took a stroll through Harbor Town and enjoyed the sunset, which sparked a discussion of why we never thought to move downtown. I say we still can, but Grant isn't quite convinced yet!

Instead of gifts, we've always celebrated with a nice dinner, but this year Grant surprised me with this:

created in his office

and hung in our bedroom to enjoy!

He got his inspiration from this photo we took while in Rome last Fall:

I think he came pretty darn close to replicating it!

I sure do love this guy. Here's to many more years, my love!

While we were celebrating our anniversary, our backyard was going through a major overhaul. We have neglected the backyard for 3 years now and it certainly showed:

yuck!

during demo:

We knew this would be a project we couldn't do alone and I am so glad we decided to hand it over to someone with more experience.

The grass is slow-moving, but coming along! We're hoping to add a few plants/flowers soon.

But until then, we're off to this lovely place for a week of hiking!

Glacier National Park, Montana

Recent Travels

2010-04-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

I really thought I'd do better about posting on this blog, but obviously that's not true!

Since the last post, we've entered a new year and so far it's been pretty great. In Februray, we celebrated with our favorite Griz, Zach Randolph (Z-Bo) as he was rewarded a spot to the All Star team during the annual All Star Weekend. Grant made several onesies and small t-shirts for his two girls to wear and celebrate the honor too!

[lost the onesie pictures, but trust me, they are so cute]

Unfortunately, we didn't see the Tigers in March Madness, but we thoroughly enjoyed watching two certain teams in the MidSouth lose in the Elite Eight! (don't act like you didn't either!).

In March, we won a contest at a Grizzlies game that involved writing your name on a piece of paper, folding it into your best make-shift airplane and launching it to center court in hopes of reaching the very center, or closest to.
And the prize? Free airfare to Orlando, tickets to Griz/Magic game and one night stay in the team hotel!

I thought I crafted the perfect plane, but it didn't even reach 3 rows in front me. So, you can imagine my surprise when the lady announced, "Grant Burke" as the winner. As it turned out, our dear friends placed our name on several planes and made a perfect throw. So very sweet!

So, we spent our first Easter away from home and in Orlando and had a great little getaway! We were able to extend the trip to 3 days and spent one day in Disney World at Magic Kingdom, a few hours at the outlet stores, a lovely easter service at church downtown and of course, the game.

Grant's good luck ran out when a bird pooped on him.

But then came back after Disney gave him a voucher for clean clothes!
[I almost didn't believe the sweet lady that walked up to us and said, " Sir, are you okay? Can we get you some new clothes?" Grant certainly wasn't going to say no!]

seriously, not another picture.
Space Mountain

The Grizzlies lost their game Sunday night, but we still had a great trip and are thankful to our friends who helped us get there!

And a couple of days after Orlando, I met my friend, Emily and her precious daughter, Sadie in Little Rock for a quick trip to see our dear friend, Melissa and her two children in Monroe, LA. The trip down and back was short-lived but so worth it!

Nora and Sadie
[if only you could see the things we did to get them to look into the camera!]

sweet, Ethan. He's so cuddly. I love him!

Loved seeing both of you and your precious children!

Now, I think I'll stay put for a little while. And maybe update before 4 months goes by again!

30th Burkday

2009-12-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

This past Friday we celebrated Grant's 30th birthday with the Grizzlies, no doubt. Thanks to one generous friend, we were given a party suite at the Forum and 14 tickets, for free. All we had to do was take care of the food!

Believe it or not, Grant used pliers to turn this:

into this:

and with my help, this:

MVP's with Z-Bo in the starting line-up

another gb creation for everyone to enjoy and take home

To my sweet, hilarious and immensely talented husband, I wish you (again)
Happy 30th Birthday!
Love you.

{In other unrelated news, someone hacked into my facebook account over the weekend, told everyone grant and I were in London, mugged and needed money. So, I dont exist right now on FB, as they shut me down. not sure when that will be worked out!}

so many projects...

2009-12-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

most of which have involved me spending time in the kitchen with my trusty 1970 whirlpool oven. As you know, this time of year is filled with all kind of festive gatherings which require a baked good or two. And most of the time, I can't just sign up for one thing. I can't help it. I LOVE potlucks.

But as much as I love potlucks, I'd have to say that the annual cookie exchange with our Sunday school class is by far my favorite gathering. There's just something about the anticipation of each girl's cookie, the overwhelming nauseous feeling after tasting 23 cookies, the lovely fellowship and the oh-so friendly competition! I mean, this thing is serious, people. And this year was no disappointment. This is my third year to participate and still without a solid win, but its all about the process, right?!

I'm a sucker for cookies with frosting, so I guess it's only fitting that this is what made the exchange this year:

packaged like this:

I knew Grant's endless supply of CD cases would come in handy one day.

I didn't take any pictures of the winning cookies (there were five categories) but they were all delicious! Thank you, Stacey for opening your home once again!

When I haven't been in the kitchen, I've been in the bathroom trying to complete the project we started before our vacation a couple months ago. We are two months late from my personal deadline, but it is finally done. Thanks to my wonderful husband for all the time spent in design and manual labor!

Let me remind you of the bathroom when we bought the house.

And after a little TLC

we removed the closet for more open storage

and added a few pictures of Italy to always remind of us our trip

We are officially on break from home projects for awhile and ready to enjoy the holiday season!

As busy as we've been lately with projects and such, there's always time for this sweet friend

Jim and Maria's golden, Maisy. Oh my I love this puppy.

2009-10-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

Grant and I recently returned from our Italian adventure to Rome and Florence where we walked along the fabulous cobblestone streets admiring this...

And indulging in a daily cappuccino and cup of gelato

We've both traveled to Italy before, but never together and so we celebrated Christmas, our next anniversary and set of birthdays a little early! Grant took about 500 pictures every day, so I tried to narrow it down for you.
Some of our loves in Rome...

Coliseum by day

...and by night

Our room was on top of this beautiful gem, which I guess you could say is really my love. But I didn't allow myself to step foot inside and honestly never saw one person in there in 4 days!
(I'd say not, seeing as how the cardigan in the window was $250! What?!)

Grant loves to hold my hand, hug and kiss me in public :)

Roman Forum

we sat here with our gelato every night...

No coins thrown this time. We thought the legend can only work once, right?

Vatican City

I found these beauties in the Campo Dei Fiori piazza and wished so much that I could buy a bundle and put in my house, thousands of miles away!

Last dinner in Piazza Navona

Part of our hotel and the doors leading to our room upstairs... love these doors!

We trained to Florence for more fun...

the famous view from the top of the hill

Duomo

a little fun with the camera...

View from the roof of our hotel.

Lovely piazza

It's been 2 weeks since we've returned and I think about Italy pretty much everyday. No real agenda, no TV [except right before bed :) ], quality time with Grant and walking everywhere we wanted to go. Which made my daily gelato trips (sometimes 2!) okay.

As much as I love Italy and frankly, Europe in general, here are a few things we learned to appreciate about our beloved U.S.A.
1. Smoke-free restaurants
2. Going to Swanky's Taco Shop and eating for $15, for both of us.
3.Flat ground (cobblestone is beautiful, but only for a short time ;)
4. Walking around Memphis with only 5-6 other people in your personal space.

I love Italy, but I really love Memphis.

sweet babies

2009-08-31T17:37:00.000-07:00

Despite Grant's rule of "no babies allowed", I've had a lot of time with some cute babies lately and I have loved every minute of it!

My good friend, Jennifer from OT school had her sweet baby boy (over 9lbs!) April 6th.

Reid Luke McMahan

Look at that hair!

Somehow, Jennifer and I never got a picture together with Reid! But both are doing great and I look forward to holding him again soon!

Not too long after Reid's birth, another one made her way into the world. I took off work this past Friday and headed to Pleasant Plains, AR to visit my dearest friend, Emily and her sweet baby girl, Sadie Belle Smith!

She's already got jewelry on! I love it!

She was such a dream... slept the entire time and barely fussy. My kind of baby! Thank you Em for a great lunch and for allowing me to "steal" your sweet one from you for awhile! It was so good to see you and your wonderful family.

Grant met me in Pleasant Plains and we headed to Heber for some R&R. While there, we met up with our friends, Joe and Chanda along with their family and yes, there was more baby time with their precious girl, Mia Murphy.

How adorable is she?!

Oh sweet Mia, you can fall asleep on me anytime!

We also enjoyed the Jerkins' company on the boat with plenty of baked cheetos, swimming with turtles and good music... all without a baby. :)

Truly the best of both worlds this weekend.

A lovely find

2009-08-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, we don't need another project! But I could not let this beauty pass through my hands and to the garbage (because that's where it was going!). Grant snagged a nice card catalog very similar to this from the MUS Library as they were cleaning house which I hope will turn into a great functional piece for our house. And the best part about it, it was FREE!

I haven't decided what do with it yet, but I like these ideas so far...

for the office?

add some legs to it for the dining room?

paint it (any color)

create a distressed look?

What do you think? Any other ideas come to mind?

Ultimate Teamwork

2009-07-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

From painting and installing our garage door, we have moved on to the overwhelming project of a master bath re-do. And I must say, this has been the most challenging of all our projects thus far. Two weeks ago, Grant and I spent a portion of our Sunday afternoon removing our 400lb bathtub in preparation for a walk-in shower. Surprisingly, we accomplished this task without injury or harsh words!

My day job came in handy during this task!

Thanks to Grant's thought-out plan x 4 days, the tub made it through our bedroom, out of the sunroom and onto the patio by way of Grant's tracking system, which allowed us to salvage the carpet and tile.

And here she is, our beloved pink and blue bathroom.
(The first day of ownership)

This is our progress as of today, a few weeks into the remodel. To our surprise, it took longer than we expected to demo everything and we are still working on that part. We are notorious for letting a project linger, but hopefully this one will be different!

(The space is small and requires a wide angle lens)

Bathtub successfully removed.

Our goal is to finish no later than October! Stay tuned...

Near 30

2009-07-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

At least that's how I felt when I turned 27 on Friday. Why is it that 27 seems so much closer to 30 than 26?! Not that 30 is old by any means, but there just comes a time in life where you finally feel older and I think that time has arrived!
I had a great weekend celebrating my birthday. My friends at work organized a lunch for me on Friday to celebrate the day and I had a good time listening to my patients guess my age. I heard everything from 18 to 35 (what?!), but most of them were very close.

When I got home, I found these on the kitchen table along with a hidden Starbucks gift card! Thanks Grant! :)

We celebrated Friday night at P.F. Changs with my Mom

And of course she showed out with her beautiful wrapping and cute ideas

I love Martha Stewart and Mom baked 3 different cookies out of the new cookbook she got me. So cute and so yummy!

Grant and I went the Farmer's Market for the first time yesterday and got lots of fresh fruit that I plan to turn into a pie later this week! The weather was perfect last night and we headed to Live at the Garden to hear Joe Cocker and watch old people dance real funny. It was a great night.

And because I love brunch so much, the Burke's took us to Paulette's after church and I so enjoyed their famous popovers with strawberry butter!

All in all it was a great weekend! Next up, Grant's 30th! (Well in a few months).

Near 30

2009-07-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

At least that's how I feel after turning 27 on Friday! Why is it that 27 seems so much closer to 30 than 26? (For all of you older than me, don't be too quick to roll your eyes! I know you felt it too)!

I had a great weekend being 27. My friends at work prepared a wonderful meal for lunch on Friday and we enjoyed all kinds of fresh foods that one of the therapists brought from her garden. I didn't even know lime basil existed but I love it! Thanks, ladies!

I got home and found these on the kitchen table with a hidden Starbucks card on the inside!

Global Efforts

2009-07-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

I recently finished reading this book and I am contemplating reading it again because of the way Immaculee inspires me. I realize I am behind the times a bit, considering her book was released several years ago. But, better late than never on this one. There were parts of the book I found very difficult to read, but the overall awareness of the Rwandan Holocaust, the reminder of our freedom and Immaculee's trust in God outweighs the gruesome details. Despite the tragic events, there is beauty in her reflection of God's protection and how her relationship with Him deepened during this time in her life. I do wish I could meet her.

Maybe not what you'd consider a normal "summer read" but a good one, I assure you.

And as I made a quick stop at Starbucks this morning, I was happy see to more products available to the public, as a part of the (PRODUCT)^RED™. This summer, Starbucks has released small handbags and tumblers with authentic African fabric created by Rwandan artisans. Click here to read more. I couldn't find any pictures and I didn't purchase one today, so you will have to venture to a Starbucks to see for yourself! This is one of many reasons why I love Starbucks.

Celebrating Love and Friendship

2009-06-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Grant and I celebrated four years of marriage this past Thursday and had a very nice dinner at Flemmings. I highly recommend this restaurant for a special occasion. They even handed us a box of their homemade chocolate truffles at the end of the meal for a gift and they were delicious! It's hard to believe it has been four years. This picture is from our honeymoon and has always been a favorite of mine. Thanks for four great years, sweet husband. Here's to many more!

The day after our anniversary, I headed to Heber Springs (again!) for a different, and much needed celebration with friends. We have been trying to plan a small trip for more than 5 years now and thanks to Bubba and Debbie Edwards, this trip was quite inexpensive! Me, along with 4 of my lifelong friends from high school/college spent a relaxing weekend at the lake in a beautiful mansion!

Back of the house... simply gorgeous!

We threw Emily a small surprise shower on Saturday (yes, in our swimsuit attire!) and topped it off with Muddy's cupcakes. There's nothing like those sweet buttercream treats!

We even spent a little time with sweet Nora

And a lot of time on the boat!

We had the choice of our own room, but chose the "bunk room" instead. And why not, right? Who doesn't love reverting back to the slumber party years where laughter is uncontrollable, secrets are told and random games like "Name as many people as you can from our graduating class of 2000" are played (I'll have you know, we made it to 88/98 people before peeking at the annual!)

Emily's house in Bald Knob (short Eryn :) who returned to Memphis early). The weekend just wasn't long enough!

And now, off to the lake again tomorrow!

Game on

2009-06-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

I don't know how it happened, but somehow Grant and I found ourselves engaged in the Belizean favorite, game of "Slaps" tonight.

Yes, this game dates back to the ages, as seen in this picture of Jonathan Jerkins and Grant Burke in Belize. Possibly 1997?
(Excuse the quality. We don't have a scanner)

For those of you unfamiliar with this game, let me explain. It involves two people standing face-to-face with hands positioned in a "stop" fashion, ready to slap hands together in hopes of throwing one's opponent of his/her feet and thus, becoming victorious. I might add that in the past, this has turned into " Ok, best of three" or "best of ten". When I was in Belize, this game would last forever.

And in tonight's match-up, let it be known that I dominated. But because I was victorious SO many times, Grant thought I might be cheating. Thus, our debate of the rules.

So the questions I pose to all you who love Belize and this game are:

1. What if one person loses his/her balance and begins to fall forward, but feet have not left the ground and one's opponent moves first. Who's out? (Grant votes the one who initiated movement first).
2. Is one disqualified for reaching forward with all his/her might and accidentally pushing the chest vs the person's hands even though the opponent still moved his/her feet first?
3. Is there a rule stated, " You are pushing too hard." (because this was Grant's comment each time he fell.)
4. What exactly are the formal rules, if any?
5. And really, how many of you think I cheated? Come on... I'm stronger than I look right?

So, if you could shed some light on the rules, that would be great because I think this will become a new game in the Burke house.

On a different note, make your way over to 6660 Poplar Ave(corner of Poplar and Kirby) to the newly renovated Kroger for some great deals and free stuff like :
-Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries for $1.50 each
-California cherries for $2.88 lb.
-USDA choice boneless ribeye steaks for $5.97lb ( We had one tonight and it was great! One is enough for two people with sides)
-Beautiful flowers at various low prices.

And the best part: Free items (about 7) to the first 200 people each day between 4pm and 6pm. Also, just by using your Kroger card, you are automatically entered to win a gift card for $500, $750 and $1000. Given away June 13th, 20th, 27th and July 4th. Good luck!

Two years later...

2009-05-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

and we finally finished painting our garage door! There are a few people in this world who realize what an accomplishment this is for us. We have many projects that are only 50% complete, but we are slowly making progress. Now, before you take a peek at the door, you must know how it came to be and the irony that exists with the finished product.

When we bought this house (2 years ago this week) there were all kinds of treasures to be had for someone in love with the 70's. Maybe I'll post pics of all those sometime :) Anyway, the garage door had a diamond-shaped stained glass in it and the kitchen door (which we removed for space sake) had a "beautiful" tree motif stained glass window. Unlike other friends and Grant, I was not particularly fond of this "Tree of Life" door. Did you give it this name, Leslie?! Well someone did, and it stuck. The door has been in hiding for 2 years because we weren't using it and quite honestly I never planned to.

So, Grant began his project this week of stripping the door, removing the diamond glass stained window, etc. And to make a long and dramatic story short, during the re-do process, Grant tripped over the stained glass and crushed it, rendering it useless.

Now, do you see where this is going? If you guessed that the "Tree of Life" window is now being used and adored then you are right. How's that for karma! But I'll have to say, I'm sorry I ever made fun of that window because I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. What do you think?

Here's the door before, garage view and inside house view.

Inside view after Grant shattered the window. I still can't believe it took us this long to re-do this thing! As you can see, we painted inside the house around the door, but somehow never reached the door itself. :) Don't miss the 2-tone quality... brown when you come in and primer white as you leave! (Yep, this is the main door for the house)

And the finished product with our "Tree of Life"

Not too shabby with the sunlight, right?

Thank you, Mom!

2009-05-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

This year for Mother's Day I thought it was time my mother (and mother-in-law) enjoy a meal they did not have to slave in the kitchen over. And what better way to honor them than with a dainty brunch! Since brunch is one of my favorite things, it was very difficult to nail down the winning recipes, but it all came together fairly well. Overall, the food turned out great, with the exception of the blueberry muffins, that Grant re-named scruffins (mixture of scones and muffins). Oh well, that's the joy of new recipes!

The breakfast casserole was simple, yet not like any other I've had before, so I thought I'd share it with you:

Country Club Breakfast
10 slices bread, cubed and divided
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups sausage or ham (I used sausage)
8 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted

Line bottom of greased 9x13 dish with 3/4 bread cubes. Layer cheddar cheese with sausage or ham over bread cubes. Combine eggs, milk, salt and mustard in mixing bowl. Pour over casserole. Top with remaining bread. Pour melted butter over casserole. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.This may similar to a recipe you've made before, but I think its the crunchy bread on top that really makes this extra delicious!

Thank you, Mom for all the love, sacrifice, hugs, advice, long phone calls, shopping adventures, prayers and of course, your most amazing cooking over the past 26 years! I hope your Mother's Day was special. You are loved and appreciated!

No Babies Allowed

2009-05-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have decided to join the blogging world and no, I am not with child. In fact, this blog was only approved by my husband with the promise that the Burke house (and we all know Grant speaks for himself here) would continue with the theme of "No babies allowed."

Thanks to Sara Garner for inspiring me that I can create a blog even though I am not pregnant! And as previously mentioned to others (Jesse, Leslie, Martha...) even though you girls don't have children, you know you are in a different category when it comes to blogs. :) So, just as babies are not allowed in the Burke house, your judgement of my grammar skills is not allowed as you read this blog!

To begin this blog I thought I'd share a few things about myself in the form of 25 things, as many others have already done.

1. If there is something to buy with the word "coffee" in it or on it, I will buy it: drink, candle, candy, ice cream, t-shirt, anything.
2. I lived in Italy for a summer studying with Harding University and would give anything to go back to Europe.
3. Thanks to my Dad, I was a champion bowler in elementary school, equip with my own bowling ball, bag, shoes, and gloves . We won the Father and Daughter league twice at Billy Brunswick.
4. I never hit the snooze button.
5. I want to yell not-nice things when someone does not use their turn signal.
6. I do not tolerate ridiculous rants from UT fans and it almost got me in trouble last year.
7. Besides our honeymoon, I consider our trip to the 2008 Final Four the most exciting thing Grant and I have ever done together.
8. I also answer to these names: Mando and MeMandi
9. As a freshman at David Lipscomb, I won a mock-MTV dating contest wearing leopard pants in front of the entire school.
10. That very same year, I fell flat on my face after tumbling down about 20 steps as chapel let out. Backpack over head and all.
11. I have a new-found love for the NBA now that I married to a Grizzlies fanatic.
12. In fact, because of Grant's obsession we were given the opportunity to travel with the Grizzlies to D.C. for an away game this year and I guess it's the 3rd most awesome thing we've done.
13. I'm pretty sure I win the prize for the wife with the most "stadium cups" present in the kitchen cabinets.
14. I love my profession of Occupational Therapy and can now say that all 7 years of school was completely worth it.
15. I am in love with stationary. And it works out perfectly that one of my friends has beautiful things for sale (If I knew how to link you Leslie, I would)
16. I like to go shopping by myself.
17. I love brunch anywhere I can get it.
18. I once trained for a half marathon and honestly forgot to register for it. Then I registered for a different one, and bailed on it voluntarily. I know, I'm awesome.
19. I love giving "happies" to friends and family.
20. I was tagged a "freak" in the 7th grade. I guess a pair of vans, Gadzooks t-shirts and Nirvana did the trick.
21. I am disgusted that I ever wore the color orange and sang along to rocky top. (thank you for helping me see the light, Grant.)
22. I love Memphis and wish others would appreciate the good that exists.
23. I wish I was more organized.
24. I love gospel and bluegrass music.
25. Grant and I frequently have dance parties to Prince "Lets go Crazy".